The Trump administration admitted in court filings that it canceled roughly $7.5 billion in Biden-era clean energy grants not for merit or policy reasons, but based solely on the political identity of the states receiving the funds—targeting Democratic-led states and those that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. Court documents indicate that about 284 grants were terminated while roughly 340 grants were kept, with the terminated ones predominantly located in blue states and the retained ones in red states or states with Republican senators. Democrats denounced the admission as a naked partisan weaponization of federal funds, arguing it amounts to punishing political opponents and undermines merit-based funding. The disclosures emerged in a California researchers’ lawsuit against multiple federal agencies, and have intensified scrutiny of how budget decisions could be used to pressure states and influence future grant-making rules. Critics warn the developments could reshape arguments over executive branch control of nearly $1 trillion in annual federal grants and invite broader legal and political repercussions. Pro-government outlets and opponents alike have been reporting the admissions across several outlets, underscoring a widening controversy over the politicization of federal funding.